Weekly Workout - 20 October 2023

ISSUE 1 May

WEEKLY

Issue 153 - 20 October 2023

YOUR REGULAR ONLINE UPDATE FOR THE UK FITNESS SCENE

Walk-in dementia hub launches at Waterside Farm Leisure Centre – page 3 Don’t be afraid to talk about money – page 5

2023

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WORKOUT WEEKLY

Walk-in dementia hub launches at Waterside Farm Leisure Centre A NEW support service for anybody living with dementia or caring for somebody with dementia has been launched.

The free drop-in service will run at Waterside Farm Leisure Centre once a month.

Run by the Dementia Community Support Team, the hub will be managed by the Castle Point Dementia Navigator and supported by a Sport For Confidence occupational therapist.

Dementia navigator Lin Taylor said: “The new dementia hub will provide an opportunity for people living with dementia and their carers to access a safe, therapeutic community space, which promotes activity and well-being.

It provides an opportunity to seek direct in-person support and advice from me, the local dementia navigator.

“This includes support with information, future planning and referrals to other services and activities.

“There is also support and advice available from the Sport for Confidence occupational therapist focused on supporting individuals to participate in meaningful occupation/activity to support health and wellbeing.

“Occupational therapists are perfectly placed as the ‘activity-health link’,

enabling participation in activities that drive positive occupational outcomes.

“According to the NHS website, in the UK more than 850,000 individuals are living with dementia, supported by 540,000 carers.

“Dementia touches so many people. It is estimated that one in three people will care for somebody living with dementia at some stage in their life.

“In Castle Point and Rochford, the

number of people aged 65 and over with dementia is expected to rise by nearly 50 per cent in the next 20 years. (Source: Castle Point and Rochford Health and Wellbeing Board). So, this support service will provide a lifeline for many people living in and around the area.”

In addition to advice and support, visitors to the walk-in hub will also have the opportunity to see the Sport For Confidence Boccia session.

Lucy Goldup, occupational therapist at Sport For Confidence, added: “People living with a long-term health condition, such as dementia, are half as likely to be physically active as the rest of the population.

“This means, so many people are missing out on the many social, physical, and mental benefits that activity and sport has to offer.

“Our Boccia sessions welcome everyone and are tailored to the needs of each participant to create a fun, meaningful experience for all.

“We hope that if we can encourage people to see the Boccia session, as part of the walk-in dementia hub, they might be interested in some of the many other activities provided by Sport For Confidence at Waterside Farm and other leisure centres across the county.”

Shane Williams, leisure centre and community services manager based at Castle Point Leisure Centre, added: “It is fantastic that our leisure centre is hosting this new community service.

“Not everyone feels at ease in a clinical environment so offering this service in the leisure centre will, hopefully, break down barriers and improve accessibility, helping ensure support reaches those who most need it.”

Multi-activity family destination opens its doors on The Wirral WIRRAL Council has invested £2.7million in the repositioning and development of the previous Wirral Tennis and Sports Centre as an activity hub for the whole family, which has been renamed Bidston Sports and Activity Centre.

Alliance Leisure was appointed as the council’s leisure development partner and delivered the project through the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd. The new destination offers residents and visitors a multitude of experiences to encourage movement and social interactions, helping to promote community cohesion and encourage good health through physical activity.

The facility is divided into three zones;

Director of Operations: Dominic Musgrave Tel: 01226 734407 dm@scriptmediagroup.co.uk Studio manager: Paul Hopkinson ph@scriptmediagroup.co.uk Assistant studio manager: Scott Firth sf@scriptmediagroup.co.uk

www.workoutuk.co.uk

‘adventure play’, ‘fitness’ and ‘tennis’.

Each zone is served by a central remodelled reception area and supported by a large communal food and beverage facility with a dual servery.

Tom Gardner, business development manager at Alliance Leisure, said: “The facility has been transformed from a sports facility into a multi-activity destination.

“Through the various activities, there is now a provision for all ages and abilities, creating a place where the whole family can get involved.”

For youngsters aged eight and above, and also adults, there is a TAGactive arena, a digitally gamified obstacle course, whilst a large soft play area will

cater for younger children.

This area has been designed to encourage families to spend active time together in a safe, stimulating and fun environment.

Tom added: “Extensive research has evidenced that active children are more likely to develop into active adults.

“Encouraging active play from an early age sets the foundations for an active adult population and all the benefits that delivers for individuals and communities.”

A new fitness suite, equipped with a comprehensive selection of cardiovascular and strength training equipment, supported by a dedicated, immersive group cycle studio provides

state of the art training facilities for all ages and abilities, whilst tennis remains an integral part of the offer, thanks to the retained provision of six indoor courts.

Supporting Alliance Leisure in project delivery was Universal Group as principal contractor, Pozzoni Architects and Play Revolution, the designers and supplier of the TAGactive and adventure play structures. Works began in November 2022 and the facility opened to the public in September.

The facility is owned by Wirral Council and managed by Active Wirral, although the tennis provision is now managed directly by the Lawn Tennis Association due to a direct new partnership for the NGB with Wirral Council.

Absolute Performance unveils new director ABSOLUTE Performance has announced the appointment of Gary Oleinik as sales and marketing director.

With full responsibility for the leadership and development of Absolute Performance’s sales and marketing strategy, Gary will play a key role in meeting the company’s growth goals. Gary will also be instrumental in building on the business’ outstanding reputation in the UK and European strength and conditioning market.

With more than 14 years of fitness industry experience, Gary brings with him a strong skill set and an excellent reputation for relationship building, high performance and team leadership and is a highly respected name with customers and suppliers alike.

He said: “I am honoured to be part of such a dynamic and progressive business.

“Absolute Performance has a strong reputation for quality and service and I am looking forward to the challenge of helping take the company to the next level.”

Gary joins at a key point in Absolute Performance’s development.

Following recent growth in all sectors, particularly in education and elite sport, the business is in a strong position with a great foundation for Gary to help drive further growth.

Managing director Harry TafotaNash added: “I am delighted that Gary Oleinik will be joining us as sales and marketing director.

“His strong knowledge of the market and vast experience will be invaluable to the company”.

Gary Oleinik

3

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A new set of post-pandemic consumer behaviours are impacting fitness operators of all shapes and sizes. Dr Paul Bedford shares the findings of new research, and offers insights into how operators might respond.

The post-pandemic consumer EARLIER this year I put together a report into changing dynamics in the fitness marketplace: new post-pandemic nuances in consumer behaviour compared to pre-Covid norms.

The report was inspired by a request from one of my customers, concerned by some of the changes they were seeing and wanting to know what they could do about it. Their question: ‘Are we alone in this?’

My answer: ‘Absolutely not.’

Because – although all the headlines show club operations returning to prepandemic membership numbers, and great news that is – some things have nevertheless changed.

And they’ve changed across the sector and around the world, with consistent themes emerging around customer usage patterns.

I’ll dive into the findings of our research in a moment, but let’s first recognise that fitness isn’t alone in this.

A universal shift Pre-pandemic, most people were working regular hours, generally office-based, across the Monday–Friday working week.

When the pandemic forced us all to work remotely, it became apparent that much of the workforce could in fact carry out their roles and responsibilities perfectly well without having to travel to a place of work.

Add to that the freedom and extra hours in the day that working from home affords people and it’s little surprise that the desire to work from home for at least part of the week has remained postpandemic.

It’s a change in behaviour that’s forced Network Rail (UK rail provider) to create new, multi-trip season tickets.

That’s led to an increase in usage at WeWork’s suburban locations.

And that’s driven a 400 per cent uplift

in Monday–Friday visit frequency to David Lloyd’s in-club business centres.

So what else are we seeing in health clubs? Our conversations with operators, and the questionnaire-based qualitative research we conducted among 2,200+ consumers post-pandemic, shines a spotlight on the following three behaviour changes. #1 – Sales are up, retention is down If your sales have returned to prepandemic levels, but you’re still seeing gaps in your figures, this first theme will be of interest to you: it’s likely down to retention rather than needing to push even harder on your sales.

Our research shows that for the big box operators, membership longevity is typically five to seven months shorter post-pandemic than pre-pandemic. In some cases, the gap is wider still.

At one of our big box club customers, the pre-pandemic member lifespan was typically 24–35 months.

Post-pandemic – with no change in age groups, demographics or membership types – it’s 13–15 months.

Meanwhile, our research among 11 single-site boutique operators found that 92 per cent of customers now maintain their usage patterns for as little as two months, especially in singlediscipline studios.

Pilates and yoga seem to escape this shift, but elsewhere, people are moving on far more quickly.

I refer to this trend as ‘fitness tourism’, whereby people go and try out new things without any intention of being a long-term customer. This brings us to our second theme… #2 – Customers want to mix and match Our questionnaires asked fitness consumers why, when and where they were training.

Pre-pandemic, the most common

answer to the latter was ‘at one specific club where I have a membership’.

Post-pandemic, the answer is either ‘at two locations’ or ‘at multiple locations’.

Whether through the aggregators or via a pay-per-play approach, fitness consumers are now mixing up their workouts and the providers they use.

We’re also seeing usage trends going in opposite directions for city centre clubs versus the suburbs. In the former, visits are now concentrated into Tuesdays– Thursdays.

No real surprise there given hybrid working patterns, but it means people are coming less often. Meanwhile, clubs in residential areas are seeing exponential growth in usage.

People are also staying longer on each visit as clubs become places to work in as well as work out.

They are no longer just a third place, but a second: people’s place of work.

In city centres especially, it’s also possible that longer visits are being driven by customers seeking to maximise value per visit, whether they’re paying a membership or paying per visit.

Which brings us to… #3 – PAYG is the people’s choice When you don’t use a club as frequently, your resistance to paying a monthly membership rises.

Pay-as-you-go becomes your preferred model.

We’re now seeing consumers willing to pay £25 per visit rather than £50 per month, which is leading to unpredictable revenues and significant revenue gaps for clubs.

So, what’s the answer?

Sadly there’s no silver bullet. I believe these new habits are now ingrained and that, even as sales perform well, operators must build their models and forecasts around shorter memberships and a reduced total revenue per member.

However, I would like to share a few suggestions.

The first is to focus on the member experience, not just the facilities.

Whenever a customer visits you, the whole experience has to be great.

The second is to understand your data and focus on what’s right for your business, rather than copying what everyone else is doing.

An example: one of our customers was heavily focused on secondary revenue, until it realised that in the post-pandemic world of reduced visit frequency, there would be a far greater impact on its bottom line if it could encourage every member to come to the club just once more every month.

The third suggestion is obvious but still worth saying: where a brand has multiple locations, do consider selling ‘use any club’ memberships.

The fourth and final suggestion is to go back to basics, onboarding every new member in a way that best positions them to become a regular user.

I’m talking appropriate – and, ideally, personalised – programmes and encouragement to help them establish a routine rather than ad hoc visits, in turn helping them see the value in the product they’ve purchased.

Freemotion Fitness appoints industry veteran Adam Guier as VP of sales FREEMOTION Fitness, the commercial equipment arm of global fitness leader, iFIT, has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Adam Guier as vice president of sales for North America.

Adam has worked in fitness for more than 25 years and his extensive experience includes 20 years in the commercial fitness sales industry.

Most of that time he has spent in

various sales leadership and business development positions.

In his new role, Adam will report directly to Freemotion Fitness CEO, Mark Watterson, and will oversee all US and Canada-based national and subscription accounts.

Mark said: “We are thrilled to welcome Adam to Freemotion.

“Adam’s experience and leadership will be incredibly valuable as we

focus on expanding our current and building new club and vertical partnerships.

“I look forward to seeing Adam lead these efforts alongside our sales and marketing division.”

Adam added: “I’m delighted to join Freemotion and the iFIT family. I’m enthusiastic about what is ahead for the Freemotion brand and I look forward to leading, building, and

coaching a driven sales organisation.

“As we strengthen our brand positioning in the commercial fitness space, we will have an increased focus on securing new vertical partnerships, building existing club relationships and expanding our digital subscription presence.

I see this as being critical to continued growth – and I can’t wait to get started.”

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Dyaco UK equips Hybrid Fitness in Loughton DYACO UK, the leading provider of premium fitness equipment, has announced its successful collaboration with Hybrid Fitness in Loughton, Essex, by providing state-of-the-art fitness equipment for their new fitness facility, which opened earlier this month.

Dyaco UK, with its reputation for delivering toptier fitness solutions, has equipped Hybrid Fitness Loughton with the latest and most advanced exercise equipment available.

The equipment installation at Hybrid Fitness, Dyaco’s second hybrid site, reflects the brands ongoing commitment to creating high end gym solutions with a focus on strength and conditioning, Hot Yoga and spin, aimed at the modern-day gym goer, with additional luxury elements akin to that of a health club.

Members of Hybrid Fitness Loughton will now have access to an extensive range of cutting-edge cardio machines, strength training equipment, and innovative group fitness solutions from brands including Spirit Fitness, all designed to elevate their training experience and help them achieve their fitness goals.

With this collaboration, the project, which has been 12 months in the making, Dyaco UK and Hybrid Fitness are set to create the number one fitness destination that promotes health and wellness in the Loughton community.

Ant Townsley, business development director at Hybrid Fitness, said: “We’re delighted to have a Hybrid Fitness in Loughton.

“Matt and the team at Dyaco UK have been great; from helping to craft a vision for the facility all the way

through to final installation and any troubleshooting support.

“I’m looking forward to working with Dyaco UK again in the future.”

Gym owner Jay Atwal added: “I’m so excited to have the facility open and start the journey with Hybrid.

“Dyaco’s Spirit kit has been a great addition to the kit mix that our members love, and the install team were quick and great at rectifying any last-minute adjustments.”

Matt Baker, national key account manager at Dyaco UK, said: “It’s been great looking after the Hybrid account.

“Loughton is a great site and it’s been a pleasure working with the team on kit planning, layout advice and final installation.

“I’m really pleased Hybrid Loughton has this amazing space to really offer a unique fitness experience. I look forward to working with Ant and Hybrid HQ on any sites in the future.”

Don’t be afraid to talk about money

By Katie Bulmer-Cooke WHY IS It in our country that so many of us feel uncomfortable talking about money?

We talk to potential customers and clients about our services and products and then go all sheepish when it comes to telling them the cost, and this is certainly something that is prevalent in the fitness industry amongst personal trainers and coaches.

To combat this we need to start by addressing our value as a coach, and remembering the positive impact that the work we do has on our clients.

We can all think of clients whose lives have significantly improved in numerous ways, as a result of investing in our services.

We’ve helped people to become fitter and healthier, but along with that comes improved confidence, quality of life, productivity, focus, better relationships…the list goes on and on.

These are incredibly impactful uplifts in all aspects of life and certainly shouldn’t be unvalued.

Katie BulmerCooke

Being more confident in our pricing, comes from feeling more competent in the work that we do, so it is paramount that we work on ourselves as coaches, both in a professional sense such as education,

qualifications, workshops etc, but also personally.

I’ve met so many coaches over the years who are brilliant at what they do, they’ve got it all going on, but they lack self belief or they are riddled with a feeling that they aren’t good enough, and it’s these beliefs, not their actual capabilities as a coach, that are holding them back.

In this scenario, working with a life coach or a personal development coach could yield great results.

Once you’re over the hurdle of confidence then the next challenge is often how we structure our pricing and bill for our services.

Now you’ll hear all the usual gurus on Instagram saying that you’ve got to run your business and payment set up in a certain way if you’re going to be financially successful, but the reality is it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.

You may choose monthly direct debits, session packs, or a certain time frame of commitment with payment up front or in instalments, or even a hybrid of all three, but

whatever you choose has to work for you and your clients.

Also remember that you might not get it right the first time, and you may need to make tweaks and changes along the way, which is fine.

Then, once you’re more confident discussing pricing, and you know how you are going to bill for your services, it’s time to decide on the actual price of your product/service.

This area needs careful attention and planning and should factor in things like planning and programming time, travel, rent, equipment, professional subscriptions, marketing costs, ongoing education, the result that the programme gives the client and time spent outside of the session on things like calls and messages.

This is not an exhaustive list and each coach will have unique factors that they need to throw into the mix, but the principle of zooming out and looking at the business as a whole, remains the same. n Katie Bulmer-Cooke is an awardwinning fitness trainer, speaker and consultant.

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